A content distribution network (CDN) is a multimedia data network for delivering multimedia content, including without limitation, online gaming, streaming video, email and voice-over-IP (VoIP) content, from a content provider to various end users. The content distribution network may define a converged network (i.e., having wireline and wireless segments). In one example, the content distribution network includes an IP wide area network component, including a distributed set of servers, platforms, systems, applications or functions or the like, nominally operated by an Internet service provider, and a wireless access network component (e.g., using LTE or WiFi technology), nominally operated by a wireless service provider, for connecting to mobile end-user platforms.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) define virtualization technologies that enable centralized management and control of today's complex networks, and which promise greater flexibility and scalability than traditional networks. To that end, SDN has been proposed to control traffic flows among routers of the IP network segment, so as to enhance existing content distribution networks.
However, although SDN is a promising technology for management of content distribution networks, there are still issues that need to be addressed. In one aspect, there is a need to better manage the end-users' perceived quality of service (QoS), or quality of experience (QoE), or which requires greater awareness of end-to-end traffic flow information, and greater cooperation between network segments. As presently known, SDN provides only limited awareness of traffic flow information, in part, because OpenFlow (i.e., the SDN communication protocol) monitors traffic flows based on conducting Layer 2 through 4 inspection, hence lacking visibility into higher layers such as Layer 4 through 7; and in part, because it has limited access and visibility into the wireless access segment of the converged network. Most congestion of mobile Internet traffic is likely to occur in the wireless access segment (less likely on the fixed parts of the network, such as transit networks and servers), thus SDN controllers as presently known cannot fully provision the end-to-end network conditions without the support of the wireless networks.